It Doesn't Get Better Than This
by captainswanouat
Summary: Emma, Killian, and Henry go on a picnic.


**A/N: Just a little AU ficlet set in the hopefully near future, after Emma and Hook have had an established relationship for a while. The tag needed some happiness, so I wanted to contribute this! Warning: fluffy overload.**

* * *

"Come on mom!" Henry yelled over his shoulder while sprinting away from Emma's signature bug. "We gotta go find a spot!"

"Hold your horses, kid," she said while opening the back door and grabbing the plaid printed blanket from the seat. She began reaching for the wicket basket as well, but stopped abruptly when a hand came to rest softly in the small of her back.

"Let me help, love," Killian said in a low voice, snaking his arm behind Emma to snag the basket with his hook, a spirited smirk playing on his lips.

"I am perfectly capable of getting it you know." She said while shutting the car doors, holding the blanket under her arm and against her chest.

"Aye, that I do lass. But, I am a gentleman, and what gentleman would make the lady carry all the goods," Killian teased while extending his free elbow to her. "Besides, I don't mind helping." Emma smiled while linking her arm with his.

"Fine, you win. Now let's go catch up with Henry before he gets into trouble." Emma leaned up and kissed his cheek quickly as they walked towards the spot Henry had begun setting up.

* * *

A few hours later, Emma couldn't help the smile that was persistently spread across her face as she let everything sink in. The picnic in the park had been Henry's idea and Killian had quickly agreed to it, to her initial surprise. But sitting there, taking it all in, she realized it was days like this that showed her how lucky she really was. It had been nearly a year since the incident in Neverland, the incident that brought them all together. In a moment of fear she had blurted out her feelings for Killian, surprising him and her. And although she fought against it, tried so hard to downplay the near slip of the "L" word as something in the heat of the moment, he still managed to fight through her walls. She eventually succumbed to those feelings, and as she sat in the cool shade from the warm summer sun, glancing back and forth from Killian to Henry, she couldn't be happier she did.

"Henry seems to be quite fond of the hatter's lass," Killian remarked while gesturing to Henry and Grace laughing and throwing a frisbee back and forth. Emma laughed and closed the picnic basket before turning to him.

"Yeah he does. He always has been." Killian nodded, keeping his lips in a tight smile. "What, you gonna give him tips on how to, what did you call it? 'Woo' her?" Emma teased while moving towards him as he sat down against the large oak tree that was giving them shade.

"Aye that I might, love. I'm quite good at 'wooing' lasses."

Emma smirked while sitting down and settling between his legs, leaning her back against his chest. "Oh yes, with your cheesy pickup lines and smug attitude, you're _very_ good at it."

"Well it worked on you," Killian responded to her teasing with a smile, wrapping his arms around her torso, pulling her close to him. Emma rested her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes fall shut.

"I guess I'll give you that one," she mumbled while lacing her fingers with his good hand that was settled on her stomach.

"It really doesn't get better than this, does it?" Killian said quietly, brushing the tip of his nose over the curve of her ear.

Emma shook her head, sighing deeply as her thumb brushed over the top of his hand. "It really doesn't. Everything just feels... _right_. You and me. And Henry. Here, just like this."

"I haven't been this happy in a long time, lass." He cradled her tighter against him, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I never thought I'd ever have a family."

"Well you do now. It's crazy and dysfunctional, but it's a family. And you're a part of it and you always will be, whether you like it or not," she assured him, her voice taking a teasing tone at the end of her sentence. She tilted her head up to find him smiling down at her.

"I guess I'll stick around. Thankfully your father became more welcoming of my presence."

Emma laughed, thinking back to all the moments David had threatened Killian to _'not touch his_ _daughter'_ or _'you hurt her and I'll take the other hand'_. After a while he got past that point, but the first time it happened she laughed at the small glint of fear that flashed in Killian's eyes. "Yeah he never got to do the whole 'protective dad' bit, so he had to get it in sometime. You just got unlucky that it had to be to you," Emma said before placing a quick kiss on his lips. "But I'm happy your friends now."

"More so... acquaintances," he drawled out as Emma turned her attention back to Henry and Grace. Watching them running around, so carefree, her mind began to filter in thoughts of having a family in the future; or at least, adding on to the family she had now. Prior to everything she experienced in Storybrooke, she hadn't planned on having kids again. But now, everything was different. She had a family; parents, a son, and more importantly, she had Killian. And while Henry was a handful in his own quirky ways, Emma found herself wanting to experience _really_ being a parent; being able to raise a kid as her own and cradle her baby in her arms. Everything she missed out on with Henry. She bit the inside of her lip, eyes falling closed, as she found comfort in the rising and falling of Killian's chest.

"Maybe one of these days we can extend the family," she said before thinking twice about it. Her eyes immediately shot open; they had never discussed kids and she wasn't even sure where he stood on the subject. She turned to him, wide eyes, surprised to find a smile plastered across the entirety of his face, his eyes glistening with the hint of tears.

"I think that would be wonderful, darling," he said while pulling her further into his lap, holding her tight. "Being a father is something I've always held dear. And while Henry is wonderful, and I'll always think of him as my son, having a child of my own would be..." he trailed off, chuckling lightly. "It would almost be like a dream come true. That is, long as it's with you." Killian kissed her temple, resting his head on hers. "Gods above I love you Emma Swan."

Emma smiled, leaning into him. "And I love you, Killian Jones."

They suddenly fell into silence, a silent thankfulness filling the air. Sitting there, in his arms, Emma finally realized how lucky she had been to find this; to find him.

"You said everything about this feels right, aye?" Killian suddenly said, tilting his head to try and meet her gaze.

"Uh... yeah I did... why?" Emma turned her head around to see a nervous smile playing on his lips and she furrowed her eyebrows. "Killian... what's wrong?"

"You may want to stand up for this," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Worry filled Emma's eyes as he tapped her back, signaling her to stand. She did so, not entirely sure of the movements she was making as her mind began piecing together as many scenarios she could as to why this was happening; and none of them ended good. "Darling, wipe that look of worry away, I promise this isn't bad."

"Killian what's going on?" Emma asked again, her arms falling to her sides as she stared down at the pirate. He chuckled before reaching for her hand, linking their fingers together.

"You know lass; I didn't plan on doing this today. But we've always been quite the spontaneous couple so... I'm going to." Killian shifted his body weight, propping himself up on one knee and Emma felt her mouth fall open. She tried to form words, to question him, but her mouth ran dry, and tears forming on the brims of her eyes.

"Emma... Emma before I met you I was a revenge obsessed pirate with a death wish. I hadn't loved in over 300 years and I forgot what it felt like to fall for someone. Then I met you." He looked up at her, his eyes lovingly meeting hers as a nervous laugh escaped his lips. "Darling you baffled me; you were so... different than any woman I had ever met. You certainly were a challenge, and you drove me insane. Hell, you knocked me out on more than one occasion." Emma laughed as she tightened her grip around his hand, wiping away a tear that managed to trickle down her cheek. "But I fell for you, and gods know I fell hard. I never thought I could love again, Emma. But you gave me that second chance, even though I probably didn't deserve it. You made me want to be a better man, to change my ways, to let all this harbored hatred go. And I know it's crazy, and I know we might have troubles to face, but Emma I can't see myself being happy with anyone else. I love you Emma, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and with Henry, and hell, even with your family." Killian let her hand go, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and pulling out a blue velvet box. "Your world's traditions are a bit different than ours, but your lad helped me with picking this out." He opened the box and Emma felt her heart stop, seeing the diamond ring on the inside. She was letting the tears fall freely now, her hand covering her heart as she tried to steady her breathing. "Emma Swan, will you do me the honors and be mine for the rest of my life? Will you marry me?"

All Emma could do was stare intently at him; she tried to form words but, again, nothing came out. Instead, she began nodding profusely, a smile spreading across her face, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks. Emma had never seen Killian smile the way he was at her now, his hook looping around her left wrist as he pulled it forward. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes!" Emma finally managed to say as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She stared in awe at how perfectly it fit, covering her mouth as a sob threatened to leave her lips. Everything felt so surreal. Her mind was racing, her legs felt weak, but she had never felt happier in her life; everything actually was perfect.

Killian stood to his feet, immediately pulling Emma into his arms, resting his forehead on hers. "I love you Emma."

"I love you too," she said with a quiet laugh before he leaned in to kiss her. Emma smiled against his lips, slinging her arms around his neck, and running her fingers in his hair as their lips knowingly moved against one another's. She broke the kiss momentarily when she felt her feet lifted off the ground as Killian picked her up and spun her around. She clung to him, unable to stop the laughter from slipping past her lips. Holding her arms tightly around him, she began realizing that everything that just happened was real and not something in her dreams. A near quiet sob fell from her lips and Killian put her on the ground, his eyes clouding with worry and he cupped her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern filling his tone and Emma laughed, grabbing his hand that was still attached to her cheek.

"I can't believe this is really happening right now. I always hoped and one day, maybe, I would fall in love and get married and the fact that it's actually happening is just… it's overwhelming. I've never been this happy before. I love you so much Killian," she said again as his thumb softly brushed over her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"This is very real, darling." Killian kissed her forehead, keeping his hand on her jawline.

"Should we tell Henry?" Emma asked, taking deep breaths to calm her breathing.

"Oh I already knew," Henry suddenly said, pulling her gaze away from Killian's. Emma laughed as Henry wrapped his arms around his mom's waist. "I'm really happy for you mom."

Emma wrapped her arms around Henry's shoulders, kissing the top of his head. "I'm glad you are, kid. And thanks for helping him out," Emma said, sending Killian a playful look. Henry glanced over at Killian as he pulled away from Emma, a smile plastered on his face.

"So does this mean I can call you dad now?" Henry asked, causing Killian to smile.

"If you wish to, of course. I don't mind." Henry suddenly latched himself to Killian's torso and he hesitantly returned the hug. Emma couldn't help letting her lips curl into a tight smile, quietly watching them as a look of relief filled her face. Henry was so welcoming of Killian into his life and it was moments like this that made her realize how lucky she was to have a son like him. Henry pulled back, anxiously bouncing up and down as he began walking towards the car.

"Come on, we gotta tell grandma and gramps!" he exclaimed before taking off in the direction of Emma's bug.

Emma and Killian linked their fingers together, sharing a smile as they followed Henry. Halfway to the car Emma wrapped her arm around his back, letting her free hand fall against his chest. She wanted to be close to him as possible, fearful that if she let go for even a moment that she would lose all of this. Finally, everything fell perfectly into place. She had hoped, wished, even prayed once or twice that she would be able to let herself love again; to be happy. And now, after 28 years, she was; and she was ready for whatever the future held. She found her happy ending, and she wasn't ever letting him go.


End file.
